Casinos and other forms of gaming comprise a growing multi-billion dollar industry both domestically and abroad, with electronic and microprocessor based gaming machines being more popular than ever. In a typical electronic gaming machine, such as a slot machine, video poker machine, video keno machine or the like, a game play is initiated through a player wager of money or credit, whereupon the gaming machine determines a game outcome, presents the game outcome to the player and then potentially dispenses an award of some type, including a monetary award, depending upon the game outcome. Many additional gaming machine components, features and programs have been made possible in recent years through this proliferation of electronic gaming machines, including those involving linked progressive jackpots, player tracking and loyalty points programs, and various forms of cashless gaming, among other items. Many of these added components, features and programs can involve the implementation of various back-end and/or networked systems, including more hardware and software elements, as is generally known.
In addition to gaming machines, various other games and wager based offerings to patrons within a casino are well known. For example, while gaming machines have become a staple for many casinos and gaming establishments, table games remain an immensely popular form of gaming and a substantial source of revenue for gaming operators as well. Such table games can include poker, blackjack, craps, roulette and other traditional standbys, as well as other more recently introduced games such as pai-gow, Carribean Stud, Spanish 21, and Let It Ride, among others. Under a typical gaming event at a gaming table, a player places a wager on a game, whereupon a winning may be paid to the player depending on the outcome of the game. As is generally known, a wager may involve the use of cash or one or more chips, markers or the like, as well as various forms of gestures or oral claims. The game itself may involve the use of, for example, one or more cards, dice, wheels, balls, tokens or the like, with the rules of the game and any payouts or pay tables being established prior to game play. As is also known, possible winnings may be paid in cash, credit, one or more chips, markers, or prizes, or by other forms of payouts. In addition to table games, other games within a casino or other gaming environment are also widely known. For instance, keno, bingo, sports books, and ticket drawings, among others, are all examples of wager based games and other events that patrons may partake of within a casino or other gaming establishment.
One well known way of generating extra interest and excitement for patrons of a casino is to provide bonuses to those who play games involving the placement of a wager and possible monetary payout as a result. Such bonuses generally tend to be in addition to any customary payout for a regular outcome of the game. As is generally known, bonusing within a casino or other gaming environment tends to involve slot machines for the most part. Although bonusing programs or schemes might be available with respect to a table game on occasion, such bonuses are typically limited in nature, such as to the specific table or genre of table games within the casino. In the event that bonuses may actually be provided for a table game or other alternative venue within a casino or other gaming establishment, such bonuses tend to be isolated and sporadic in nature.
Some forms of table games have traditionally had no form of bonus at all. For example, the game of roulette is typically an independent game within the casino having no connection to any other casino game. Similarly, the game of craps also tends to be independent and without connection to any other game. Although such games surely have their place on the casino floor, such isolation can be a drawback for some games, particularly where casual players tend to flock to games that seem to be more popular, or at least tied to some general theme marketed by the casino. In particular, games that involve bonuses may tend to be more exciting or enticing to many casual gaming patrons. Further, the lack of a consistent theme or bonusing scheme from one type of game to the next, assuming such games have any type of bonusing scheme at all, may be detrimental from the point of view of some players. As such, these players may be less likely to try different games, or to even go to a casino with friends or family who do not play the same kinds of games that they do.
While existing systems and methods for providing bonuses within gaming machines, at gaming tables, and in a casino environment have generally been adequate in the past, improvements are usually welcomed and encouraged. In light of the foregoing, it is desirable to develop systems and methods involving game bonuses that are more attractive to players and potential players, and in particular for such systems and methods to be able to provide bonuses across game offerings within a casino environment.